b"cdA Breed Apart. Kamerion Wimbley Tackles Life Head-On. On His Own Terms.Story and photography by Anna CookeT HE AVERAGE STARTING PAY foraprofessionalfootball Wimbleyslovefor The AmericanBullybeganasaplayer in the NFL is $1.9 million per year. 70% of NFL play- youngster during years of watching the Westminster Kennelers are between the ages of 22 and 27. Players in that age Club Dog Show on television. He was attracted to the lookbracket earn less than the NFL average overall. Most NFL of the breed, no doubt: majestic, muscular and tough. Loveplayers dont make it to the age range when they can start at first sight, he recalls; then adds, But, the real charm of themakingseriousmoney.AccordingtoBusinessInsider, that breed is their inner beauty. Thats what really made me fall inage bracket, 28 to 35, earns an average of $4 million a year love with them. They may look tough on the outside, butand up. inside, they are sweet and gentle dogs.After nine years with the NFL, 31-year-old Kamerion He was already educating friends, family, colleagues andWimbley was ready to walk away from it all to spend more whoever would listen on the importance of responsible dogquality time with his family. Hed had a successful college ownershipwhenthenewsofMichael VickandhisBadcareer at Florida State University as one of the nation's top NewzKennelsdogfightingringhitthemediain2007.defensive ends. He was drafted 13th overall in the 2006 NFL WimbleysClevelandBrownsteammates,manyofwhomDraft by the Cleveland Browns and led the team in sacks alreadyhadpreconceivednotionsabouttheBullybreedduring his outstanding 2006-2007 rookie debut. In 2010, even prior to the Vick incident, looked to him for answers.Kamerion was traded to the Oakland Raiders where he pro- He took the opportunity to step up his efforts to inform theceeded to take the Bay Area by storm, both on the field and publicandhelpdispelthestereotypicaldiscriminationoff with his community involvement.against bull breeds. As the media chose to focus on the neg-When he made the decision to retire earlier this year, he ativity of the moment, Wimbley remained stealthily-focusedwas an outside linebacker for the Tennessee Titans, where on the positive. The survival of The American Bully breedhed played since 2012. He posted on Twitter, Although my depended upon it.wife and two young daughters have always been incredibly Any dog can be conditioned by its handler to becomesupportive of my career, I am looking forward to spending vicious-whetheritsthroughtrainingandneglect-ormore meaningful time with them and never missing anoth- abuse, such as chaining and isolating the dog outdoors, wither big moment in their lives.little to no human contact. Any breed of dog is a product ofInateam-issuedstatement, TitansGeneralManager his or her own unique situation. Their birth, upbringing, andRuston Webster said, We want to congratulate Kamerion trainingwillplayacrucialroleindeterminingthedogson his NFL career. He is a true pro and a fantastic person. behavior. Not everyone gets to walk away from the game on their own Some people jump to conclusions without having all ofterms,butheisdoingthattoday,andwithmyutmost the relevant facts about The Bully breed. The media plays arespect. I know he has a number of business ventures already hugepartinsensationalizingincidentswithirresponsibleand we wish him and his family the best in what lies ahead. dog owners and attempt to paint the entire breed with broadWimbley left a two-year contract worth more than $4 strokes instead of looking at individual dog owners, saidmillion in salary on the table. Wimbley.It turns out that Kamerion Wimbleys business acumen He is committed to continue educating the public aboutoff the field is just as precise and hard-hitting as his athleti- responsible dog ownership, with his primary focus naturallycism was on the field. Of the 10 successful business ventures beingon The AmericanBullybreed. A petprojectofhe owns and/or is involved with, his favorite is Gold Label his is the Bull Breed Coalition Registry (BBCR), where heKennelsinCrawfordville,Florida. There, TheAmerican is one of the founding members and a hands-on director.Bully breed he has always loved, is safely and responsibly Theregistrywilloffermoreinnovativeoptionsforabred. Gold Label also focus on training, showing, rescuing broader population of people, including through the use ofand adopting The American Bully. social media.Continued on page 26 g24 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com"